Insanity
by imperfectioonnss
Summary: "Didn't you know, Korra? Too much of anything can destroy you. Too much darkness can kill you, and too much light can blind you." There's something in her…something deep down in her. No one can see it…not even her. It's there, though. Deep down, secured by many barriers is where it resides…darkness.
1. Chapter 1

_{I would personally like to take this moment in order to thank a dear acquaintance of mine for helping me through the writing process of this story. __DrkVrtx__, thank you for all the help and once again I really appreciate how much of your time and effort you've put [and continue to put] into helping me write this story}_

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><p><em><strong>It has been half a year since the epic battle between the avatar [Korra] and the highly skilled earth and metal bender [Kuvira]. During the battle, Korra had managed to go into the avatar state and reconnect with Raava and the past avatars. However, things took a turn for the worst when Korra sustained a few injuries while she was in the avatar state. These injuries, at first, had no effect. That is, until Korra had attempted to contact her past avatars and Raava and realized that her connection had once again been severed. Korra has yet to figure out how she lost connection so soon.<strong>_

_**Although no one can see it…there is something residing within Korra. Not even the avatar can see it. It resides within the young avatar…deep down within her. However, it wants to be let out…it wants her to let it in.**_

_**So, without further ado let the madness begin.**_

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><p>A gong chimed in the distance and the girl lifted cerulean eyes towards the Temple. It was time for dinner. After hours of exploring the corners of the island, Korra was ravenous.<p>

Making her way back to the Temple, she had the quiet path to herself and her thoughts – until the sharp whistling of wind met her ear and Korra glanced over her shoulder. She gave a yelp of surprise and jumped back off the path as two children blew right past her on air scooters.

A girl's voice shouted through the dust kicked up into the air. "Sorry!"

"Move out of the way next time!" called the immediately familiar voice of young boy.

"Those kids," Korra chuckled, shaking her head as she put two and two together. "Why am I not surprised?"

As she brushed dust off of herself, Korra's stomach grumbled impatiently. Appeasing it was her number one priority right now. With a light jog, passing several acolytes along the way as they all headed in the same direction, Korra arrived at the dining hall.

She slid the door open and stepped inside, turning to close it behind her. She made her way over to her usual spot –- at the far left end of the table, closer to the kitchen entryway — and made sure not to trip over the mats on the way over. Before sitting down, she glanced around to see who had come to dinner tonight. Tenzin, his wife and Rohan were directly across from her and on the same side were Ikki and Meelo; the latter's grumpiness suggesting he had lost their race. Jinora and Tenzin's mother– visiting from the South Pole — were seated on Korra's side of the table.

The girl lowered herself onto the mat, a plate of food already served for her and ready to eat.

"Korra," Tenzin began, only to find himself being interrupted by the girl.

"I'm sorry I'm late for dinner," she said quickly, hoping that her reason would prevent a lecture. "I got a little distracted by something and just sort of forgot the time."

Tenzin stared at her for a moment before snapping out of his stupor.

"Korra, that's fine. I was only going to ask how your healing sessions have been going," he said, raising an eyebrow in question.

She gulped and bowed her head slightly in order to feed herself. "Oh…"

The sound came out muffled. Korra looked over at the elder water bender beside her as she answered, who simply smiled and looked at her son.

"They've been going great, right, Katara?"

"Tenzin, Korra is doing fine," the old woman said. "Although she sustained a few injuries, they are healing faster than I thought they would. There are a few scars here and there, but other than that…she's perfectly fine."

Korra thanked the high spirits for Katara in that moment. Tenzin, however, could see right through his mother's smile, noting that there was something she wasn't telling him. He made a mental note to discuss it with her later on.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine." Korra added to back up Katara's statement, though it was unnecessary.

"Well that's good, Korra," Tenzin replied, nodding. "And how has your training been progressing?"

Before she could think up a lie, Pema jumped into the conversation.

"Sweetheart, give her a break. She doesn't have to train every day. I'm pretty sure in order for her to heal, she needs rest as well. Even the avatar needs some time off now and then," Pema said, as she spoon-fed the toddler in her lap some rice. She smiled surreptitiously at Korra afterwards, empathy evident in the curve of her mouth.

_Thank you spirits for both Katara and Pema!_ The young avatar thought as she heard Katara speak up.

"Tenzin, Pema is right. Before Korra can heal physically, she must find her inner peace and spirituality in order to first recover emotionally."

"I know, mother," Tenzin sighed, looking over at Korra. "I just want you to be okay."

Korra smiled softly. "I'll be fine. Really, I'm feeling much better already. It's been what? Almost six months since the whole battle thing? I'll be back in action before you know it."

She grinned and Tenzin couldn't help but smile in return.

"Well, that's great!" Ikki interjected from the other side of the table.

"Yeah, Korra! That way you can race me and Ikki!" Meelo grinned.

Laughing softly, she nodded as she spoke. "Sure thing, kids. I'm a bit rusty though, so you might need to go easy on me."

Korra heard Jinora scoff at that. When she glanced over at her, she saw that the girl was smiling.

"Sorry, little Miss air bending master. I forgot you're too mature for fun stuff like that," Korra teased.

"Oh please. I could beat you with my eyes closed," the younger girl replied, smirking.

Korra grinned. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

Jinora simply shrugged, though a smile rose to her lips.

"Alright, kids, enough." Tenzin scolded, but Korra could see he wanted to smile too.

_Huh, I guess everything is going to be alright after all_, she thought as she continued eating.

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><p>After dinner, Korra was in the mood to meditate, feeling in need of redeeming herself for not putting enough effort into her training. Making her way outside, she walked around the Temple to the air bending training area, her eyes finding the gazebo Tenzin liked to use for meditation sessions. Walking up its steps, Korra could already feel a sense of peace coming over her. Yue Bay was close, in fact the gazebo sat close to the edge of a cliff overlooking it. She could hear it molding itself around the rocks far below. Water was her native element and listening to its movements had always helped her relax.<p>

Korra glanced over her shoulder at the sound of a deep, throaty rumble and saw her best friend curled up in front of the ancient spinning gates.

"Naga!" Korra called out in genuine surprise, to which her polar bear dog lifted her great head, stood, and ran forward to meet her.

"Hey, girl!" Korra let out a gleeful laugh as she hugged her. She grinned and rubbed the dog behind her ear. Naga's tongue lolled from her mouth as she nuzzled against Korra's cheek.

After some time of playing around with her furry friend, Korra recalled why she had even come here.

"Well, Naga, I'm going to meditate for a bit."

Korra kissed her on the nose and turned away. She looked back and smiled after hearing the polar bear dog whine in protest.

"Oh, you know you can come too!"

The Naga's ears perked up at that and happily, she followed Korra over to the gazebo.

Walking up the steps, Korra sat herself down right in the center and crossed her legs. The floor was hard and it took her a few moments to find a comfortable position. Finally, Korra folded her hands together between her thighs and she straightened her back. Tenzin had a thing for perfect posture and all that mumbo-jumbo, so it had become a habit for her to maintain it even when he wasn't present. Off to the side, Korra heard and felt her large friend plop down and get comfortable. It wasn't long before Naga dozed off and began softly snoring.

Finally at peace, Korra began to focus on her breathing. She slowly inhaled, then exhaled, and eventually a sense of otherworldly calm encompassed her. The weight of the material world was left behind as she stepped into the spiritual.

Korra opened her eyes and found herself in the Spirit World, smiling as her body remembered the familiar sensation of lightness. Her chest was full as she breathed in deeply, lifting her eyes to watch spirits wend their way across the sky. Feeling at peace – at home, almost – Korra took a step forward. And in the same instant, the Spirit World disappeared.

In its place was complete and utter darkness. A black void of nothing.

Something was wrong.

"Hello?" Korra called out, igniting a flame in her palm.

Holding it a few inches away from her, Korra attempted to look around. She started to grow uneasy when she couldn't see anything past the flame, its warm light swallowed whole by a cold, impenetrable nothingness. Korra could feel sweat dripping down her back, her body trembling with a shiver. She was nervous, more than, in fact, with every second that passed. She didn't like this one bit.

Korra hated the dark; the years that passed since her childhood had done nothing to change that. She always made her mother and father leave her door open, allowing light in from the living room. She remembered curling under the covers as shadows danced across the bedroom wall. Her heart pounded in her chest now as those same shadows pressed in on her from every side.

"Maybe I'm dreaming?" Korra whispered, trying to compose herself. She took a step forward and regretted it immediately.

Her foot met nothing and she fell, her flame extinguished in the process. The darkness was thick, suffocating and everywhere, no matter where she looked. And then Korra realized she could no longer feel her legs…almost like she had been paralyzed from the waist down. She felt her eyes grow in fear. This couldn't be happening. Not again. She shot up into a sitting position only to have searing pain course throughout her entire body. Frightened beyond measure, the avatar let out a horrid scream.

"HELP!"

None came. All Korra could do was lie still and helpless as pain flashed through her body.

"Somebody help me! Please!" she cried out. But there was no answer, no help; only agony, and darkness.

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><p>Back under the gazebo, the young avatar's glowing white eyes were now starkly black. From the middle of her back, a grotesque looking vein had appeared. It spread intricately outwards, bulging underneath her skin, resembling vines as it grew to cover her entire body, even to her very extremities. And through it all, the young avatar did not wake, as though she were dead to the world.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_**To the guest who left this review:**_

_**The re-write is so much better and a lot clearer.**__** But how did she firebend? I though it was impossible to bend in the spirit world unless you go through the portals?**_

_**In the show, where we meet the first avatar, Wan, he is seen bending in the Spirit World because the two worlds (Spirit & Material) were connected. My taking on the whole bending in the Spirit World is that it is possible because the portals are opened and both worlds are connected. Also, Korra is the avatar and she's the bridge between the two worlds. So, basically, for this story I think it'll be okay to have her and whoever else we meet in the Spirit World bend. Even those who are currently residing in the Spirit World.**_

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><p>Korra could hear only one thing as she lay on the ground, curled into the foetal position: twisted, <em>maniacal<em> laughter. And then, the voice spoke.

"Let me in..."

Moving even just her head caused Korra to groan as pain sliced through her, but the utterance of the voice, a disturbingly soft coo, caught her attention. Her eyes searched for its source frantically, a spike of fear lending a cold sweat to Korra's brow when an unintelligible whisper came from the darkness surrounding her. Taking a shaky deep breath, Korra wrapped an arm around herself, with her free hand pushing herself off the floor.

"Let me in!"

The bellow came without warning and startled Korra, a gasp escaping her lips. The voice rose and rose in volume, till it was a crescendo of raging noise that stung Korra's ears. She moved her hands to cover them, but the act was in vain. The voice slipped through the cracks between her fingers and Korra bent her head, eyes tightly scrunched in pain. She felt pressure building behind them and felt her skull was a mere moment away from cracking open. The voice was merciless in its shout.

"_Let. Me. In!_"

"Who are you?!" Korra screamed back.

And suddenly, there was silence. No laughing. No voice. Just silence.

And then there was light.

Shielding her eyes against the bright flare of illumination, Korra squinted as she looked up and ahead of her to the source of light. It was a long moment before she realized that the pain afflicting her had begun to subside.

_That's weird, t_he young avatar thought, as the light dimmed down and she let her hands fall to her sides as she slowly stood up. Hesitantly, she moved towards it. A few steps before she reached it however, Korra stopped, glancing around as she waited for the voice to speak once more, to jeer at her with laughter that prickled her skin. When neither happened, she swallowed and took those remaining few steps forward.

The light vanished and in the centre of all the darkness appeared an odd looking orb, resembling that of a fortune teller's crystal ball. Korra could see that the orb was glowing and, curiosity getting the best of her, she made her way closer. Then she halted, and Korra's eyes grew wide. Fear spiked through her once more as a warped image stretched itself across the surface of the orb. Korra began to back away.

"No...No. That's impossible," she murmured, shaking her head in utter disbelief.

They were the last words to leave the avatar's lips.

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><p>"Mother, how can this be?"<p>

A man's voice, hushed in order to prevent anyone on the outside from hearing their conversation. The older woman sat in his desk chair as he paced before her.

"I'm not so sure about _why_ this happened," Katara said, her voice scratchy as she watched her son. She sipped on her water. "I do, however, have a hunch on _how_."

"I don't understand…" Tenzin furrowed his brows and quickened his pacing.

Outside of the room, Jinora had her ear pressed up against the door belonging to her father's study. She tried to listen as best as she could, but all she could hear was mumbling between her father and grandmother. Holding her breath, Jinora slowly and as silently as possible slid the door open just a crack and peered in.

She could see her father pacing in front of her grandmother, who was seated. Although Katara looked somewhat at ease, Jinora could sense that both adults were highly concerned.

"I believe it had to do with the battle…crushed…fell unconscious…severed her connection…"

Jinora heard her grandmother's disjointed words and gasped at their meaning. Unfortunately, she had gasped a bit too loudly. Her father and grandmother's attention snapped to the door immediately. Jinora wasted no time making her escape, quickly padding down the hall and around the corner. She heard her father's voice echo throughout the vacant hallways—seeing as how everyone was, or at least should have been sleeping.

"Hello! Who's there?"

Jinora eventually peeked around the corner and saw her father retreat back into the study. She heard the door lock and frowned. There wouldn't be any opportunities to eavesdrop turning up anytime soon. Resigned to the fact, Jinora made her way back to her room, thinking over what she had just heard.

"All I really know is that it had to do with Korra and something about her connection…connection to what? The spirit world?" the girl muttered to herself. "Impossible. We were there only a week ago. Then what could it be?" And then it clicked. "Raava and her past lives! That has to…"

Jinora's voice trailed away as she halted to a stop. Something was wrong. The air; it was the air. Her chest was tight and the air was too thin. And it stank, of poison, of something vile. The smell clogged her nostrils and overpowered her senses. Jinora almost gagged as the taste hit the back of her throat. It burned, like the raw pepper seeds her curiosity once had her sneak off of her mother's chopping board. Fight or flee; the instinct surged up powerfully within the young girl as she struggled to breathe. Jinora fled, out of the main building as fast as her feet could carry her. She needed to find Korra. She suspected the overwhelming feeling of darkness was somehow related to her and knew wherever Korra was; she was not safe at all.

Jinora turned in the direction of the women's dormitories, where she should have been instead of eavesdropping on her elders, and ran towards them. Once inside, she hurried to find the avatar's room. She had to tell her.

Jinora's feet scurried across the floor, causing the sandalwood to creak. The young girl came to a stop in front of the door marking the avatar's room. She carefully slid it open and stepped inside, casting her eyes to each dark corner. To her dismay, Jinora found the room to be unoccupied. She was finding it even harder to breathe as she backed out of the room, almost tripping over her own two feet.

_Where is she?_

Her throat tight and eyes beginning to water, Jinora hurried outside, as quietly as possible as to not awake any of the air acolytes. A gasp of relief left her lips as cool, refreshing air met her, allowing her to inhale a little easier. However, the stench lingered about her, clinging to the edge of every breath she took.

Increasingly anxious, Jinora's skin prickled beneath her robes. She didn't understand the dark taint to the air or its source. All she knew was she needed to find Korra. _Come on, think! _Jinora told herself desperately and it was right then as she made an effort to focus her thoughts that she felt it.

Korra's spirit!

It was faint, yes, but Jinora could _just _sense it. She could feel it coming from the direction of the training area. A frown shaped her expression before an idea came to her. Greatly in tune with her senses, Jinora trusted that her guess was correct. Being able to feel Korra's spiritual presence likely meant the Avatar was trying, at least, to enter the Spirit World, and that meant she was meditating. Jinora could see the gazebo she had sat beneath alongside her siblings even before she turned in its direction.

Reaching the plaza, the young girl hurried over to the steps and ran up. She almost fell as she skipped several at a time trying to reach the top as fast as she could. As she got closer and closer to the gazebo, it became harder and harder for Jinora to breathe. She had to force down the bile threatening to rise in her throat. The smell was _horrible_, like nothing Jinora had ever experienced before. She gagged, pausing to cover her mouth as her eyes watered. When she eventually turned them back to the gazebo, she saw –

"Korra!"

Quickly, the girl made her way up the steps, despite the thin air. When Jinora observed the state in which the avatar was presently in, she could not help but gasp.

The Korra before her eyes was not the girl she had seen earlier at the dinner table. Were it not for her apparel, Jinora may not have been able to identify her at all. A grotesque, yet intricate vine like design covered Korra's body—as far as Jinora could see.

_This isn't good._

Jinora bit her bottom lip as she knelt down. Now on her knees and in front of Korra, Jinora tried shaking her in order to get her out of the– whatever—state she was in. Seeing her efforts prove fruitless, Jinora did the only other thing she thought could work.

She sat down and folded her legs, placing her hands together in her lap. Jinora closed her eyes and focused on breathing, which proved to be extremely difficult. Soon enough, though, Jinora was able to ignore the thin air and the poisonous smell. She allowed herself to be pulled from the physical into the spirit world.

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><p>It was not the spirit world she knew to which the young air bender opened her eyes. Now existing in it, her suspicions about the darkness were proven correct.<p>

Before Jinora could call out Korras' name she heard a bloodcurdling scream, followed by laughter. Jinora could feel her skin begin to crawl in fear. That laughter did not belong to anything close to human. Then, suddenly, it stopped, and everything was eerily quiet. Jinora could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

_Where's Kai when I need him…?_

"Who are you?" Korra's voice echoed in the darkness, snapping Jinora out of her thoughts.

"Korra!" she yelled, running towards the source of her voice.

"Jinora?" Korra called back, which helped make finding her much easier.

Finally, she saw a dim light, one that looked like...

_A flame!_

Jinora had never appreciated fire more than she did in that moment. Walking through the darkness, she felt her nerves start to disperse as the flame grew brighter. It wasn't long before she could begin to make out a figure.

"Korra!"

Jinora felt herself smile in relief once she saw the young avatar sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. Korra stood quickly, extinguishing the flame and hugging the girl tightly. Jinora was swept up in her arms, feeling her heels lifting off the ground. Her heart swelled in return. She couldn't have been happier to see Korra.

"How'd you get here?" Jinora asked as Korra re-ignited a flame from the palm of her hand. "More importantly, where are we?" She gasped when the flickering orange light illuminated the avatar's face. "It's gone!" Jinora said, wide-eyed.

"I don't know," Korra replied, glancing around with a worried look on her face. She wanted to get out of this horrible place as soon as possible. "What's gone?" she asked distractedly.

Before Jinora could answer, the laughter began again. This time, though, it was deafening in volume, rattling their skulls. Simultaneously, they let out a pained cry as they covered their ears, but it was to no avail. A spark of white light amidst the black void caught their attention, slowly cracking open the darkness.

"Not this again!" Korra shouted over the laughter. This time, the light seemed to be creeping towards them. Not wanting to take any chances, Korra grabbed hold of Jinora's hand and pulled her forward as she began to run. The light was faster than their feet and in moments they were swallowed up.

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><p>Gasping, Jinora opened her eyes and breathed in deeply. She was back in the gazebo, sitting in front of the avatar. The air had lost its foul taint and the sharp yet soothing smell of saltwater had returned. She could feel the Korra's vibrant spirit emitting from her body and let out a sigh of relief.<p>

She heard a groan and snapped out of her thoughts as she saw that Korra was waking. The girl also noted how the vines bulging underneath her skin were quickly receding, the blackness of her eyes when she opened them now returned to a familiar cerulean hue. Korra's gaze bounced around the gazebo before finally settling. She gasped aloud when she looked down at her arms.

"What the hell?!"

Korra observed the unnatural ridges on her arms slowly disappearing, sinking out of sight. Her skin was smooth and clear once more. Unnerved, Korra looked up at Jinora, whose expression mirrored the confusion she felt. The thing that bothered Korra the most, however, was that she felt no trace of the fiery pain that had afflicted her only seconds ago. The two girls stood slowly, staying close. Korra's body was tensed for the unexpected, and she would fight this time, not flee. But nothing out of the ordinary occurred and at last the avatar released her breath, breathing in Yue Bay as she inhaled deeply.

"I'm not sure what all..._that_ was about," Jinora said, speaking Korra's thoughts aloud and earning a small nod.

Korra was not sure what she was supposed to think. She was still trying to process what had just taken place. She would have been convinced it were a waking nightmare, if not for Jinora's presence.

"We have to go find Dad and Gran-Gran," the girl said then, already making her way towards the steps.

"No!"

Korra instinctively reached out and grasped the younger girl's forearm. Jinora gasped at the sudden aggressiveness from the avatar, caught completely off guard. Her voice had an edge that made Jinora a bit uneasy.

"Don't tell them."

"Korra—" she began, only to be interrupted.

"I said, no."

Her grip tightened, though Korra quickly released it when she saw Jinora's pained expression. She continued nevertheless. "Let me try and figure out what happened to me. To us," Korra pleaded.

"I don't know…"

"Jinora, please," Korra said in earnest. "Give me some time. I can't deal with Tenzin interrogating me about this just yet."

The girl gave her a sceptical look, but sighed and gave in. "Fine," she mumbled.

"Thanks," Korra said, relieved. She scratched the back of her neck as she thought about what her next move should be.

"We should get to bed, before anyone finds out we're missing," Jinora suggested, throwing up air quotes as she trailed off.

Korra nodded in full agreement and walked the girl back to their rooms.

"I'll let you know our next move, okay?" the avatar said, keeping her voice low.

"Yeah...just, be careful," Jinora replied.

She bit into her bottom lip before almost throwing herself forward to hug Korra around the waist. A little surprised by the sudden display of affection, Korra curled her arms around the younger girl and hugged her back.

"You too...and thanks for bringing me back."

Korra kissed the top of her head before stepping back, watching as Jinora opened the door and closed it after her. Sighing, she rubbed her hand across her eyes as she walked back to her own room, kicking off her boots and socks once inside. Her shirt was next, Korra lifting it over her head before tossing it somewhere to the side.

She didn't exactly want to remain in the dark, so she lit the lamp and the newfound light brought her a sense of relief. Sitting down on the window seat clad only in her chest bindings and pants, Korra rested her elbow on the window sill. With her back pressed to the pillow against the wall, she stared out over Yue Bay. Soon enough, her eyelids grew heavy and she could feel tiredness lulling her sense. She gave up the challenge of trying to remain awake and shifted on the bed, laying her head on the pillow.

Distantly, as she drifted to sleep, Korra thought she heard a voice whisper.

_Let me in…_


	3. Chapter 3

_She opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar place. Smiling as she lifted her eyes, Korra watched spirits wend their way across the sky. One descended towards her, taking the shape of a snake-eel with shimmering scales of purple. Korra took a step forward in order to reach out towards the spirit, yearning to feel the silkiness of its skin against her palm. And in the same instant, as its flattened head brushed along the tips of her fingers, the Spirit World melted away. Instead, as disorientated she blinked away the swirling mass of color branded upon her eyes, an endless black void was all that existed to welcome her. _

_Korra looked around frantically as an ear-piercing laughter echoed around her. She began to run, as fast as she could. The young avatar ignited a flame and found her attempt to get away was in vain. She was running deeper—or so it seemed—into the darkness. _

_There was no escape._

_"Don't run away, Korra, let me in. Please let me in, I just want to play with you," a voice called, assaulting her senses from every direction. _

_Korra screamed as something grasped hold of her ankle, yanking backwards._ _She fell as her footing was stolen from her, chill darkness rising quickly to meet her, but before her cheek could strike the ground she –_

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><p>— sat up suddenly, gasping desperately for air. Her eyes, pulled wide and alert, flicked haphazardly around her surroundings. The pronounced rise and fall of her chest slowly calmed as Korra realised that she was in her room. It was only a dream, she told herself. Or...was it?<p>

Her vest glued to her body with sweat, the cerulean eyed girl let her fingers comb through her damp locks as she lay back down. Korra tried to calm her nerves as she stared up at the ceiling. It had been a few days since the, well, she had no idea what to call it. She turned slightly in order to glance at the clock. Korra sighed when her eyes read that it was an hour or so before the sun was due to rise. This was the fourth restless night in a row for her.

The nightmares had progressively worsened, which only made the avatar despise them all the more. They would always begin with her entering the Spirit World and end with her fleeing through impenetrable darkness. She would run and run with never an end in sight. Her only escape was waking with the rising of the sun. This time, however, was different. Korra shivered at the remembrance of how _real_ it had felt, the hand, or at least that's what she thought it was, grabbing her aggressively.

Before she could stress herself out further over it, Korra pulled away the sheets and kicked her legs out over the side of the bed. Sitting with her hands on her lap, the avatar bowed her head.

_Maybe a bath will help…_

Pulling the damp vest over her head and tossing it towards the pile of dirty clothes, Korra stood and sighed as she revelled in the coolness of the floorboards beneath her bare feet. With every step she took towards her dresser, she was met with a soft wooden creak. Opening the top drawer, Korra dug around for what she needed and closed it.

Holding the clothes in one hand, she stripped off her pants. She kicked them towards the pile and made her way to the door, clad only in her bindings. She slid the door shut behind her and padded down the hall towards the wash room.

Once inside, Korra dimmed the lights down a bit and placed the candles – scattered about the room – around the claw-foot bathtub. With the help of her fire bending, she lit the candles and smiled slightly as the flames flickered. She placed her freshly folded pair of pyjamas besides the tub and twisted the knob until the hot water poured out of the faucet. Then, the other meant for the cold.

Korra adjusted each one until she got the water temperature to the way she liked it. Not too hot, yet not too cold. She then moved over to the windows and opened them so they stood ajar, allowing some cool air to enter the wash room. Unwinding her chest bindings as she made her way back over to the tub, Korra tossed them onto the pile of folded clothes, afterwards making work of her lower bindings.

Reaching over, Korra turned off the taps. She took her time climbing into the tub, sighing as her body slipped into the warm water. Korra closed her eyes and let her mind drift to other things, though she soon found herself thinking about _it_ again.

The avatar still hadn't devised a plan to present to Jinora. Jinora...Korra could tell the girl was worrying herself over the thing and Korra wasn't sure how much longer they could keep it to themselves before the weight of the secret grew too much to bear.

_I just have to think of an explanation for what happened…I could tell Tenzin and Katara…No, then I would have to bring up Jinora and that would only make things worse for the girl. Maybe I should take a trip to the Spirit World? That means I would have to make up a lie about why I have to leave so suddenly. _

Korra sighed in defeat.

She pushed the whole thing to the back of her mind and opened her eyes. Grabbing the bar of soap she began to lather herself, rinsing it off afterwards with water. Her hair washed, body cleansed and nerves relaxed, Korra pulled the plug and stood as the water began to drain.

With the flick of her wrist, Korra bent the excess moisture from her hair and body and let it fall into the tub—following the rest of the water on its course down the drain. Korra stepped out of the tub and picked up a fresh pair of bindings and began winding one around her chest and one around her bottom. She pulled on her shirt and pants after putting the few candles she used back in their original spot, blowing out the flame of each one.

Korra slid open the door and left the wash room, closing it after her. Her feet padded lightly on the floor as she past the door marking her bedroom. She was fully awake now and knew there would be no point in trying to fall back to sleep. Korra was grateful for the sense of tranquillity as she navigated her way through the halls of the girls' dormitory. As she strolled, her mind – once again – began to drift to the thoughts she had earlier tried to push away.

_I really need to think of something…I need to think of something because this, whatever it is, this thing is driving me insane. _

Korra's thoughts went back to her earlier idea…the Spirit World.

_If I can't meditate into the Spirit World, I doubt I'll be able to enter it without being met with the same thing…_

She stood in the middle of the hallway as an idea came to mind. She turned on her heel and made her way back to her room.

Korra slid the door shut behind her and opened her closet in order to retrieve her outgoing attire. Dressed, she arranged the pillow and sheets on her bed to look like she was occupying the bed. She then pulled her glider out from underneath it and stepped up onto the window seat. She pushed the window outwards and placed a foot on the windowsill. And then, with a deep breath, she was off.

* * *

><p>The young woman marvelled at how wonderful the rush of wind felt. Korra bit her lip in order to hold back the gleeful squeal threatening to escape her lips. She manoeuvred her glider so it pointed towards the water and as she reached the surface, positioned it so that she could see her reflection. After several seconds watching her rippling image streak across the calm bay waters, Korra noted she was approaching the docks and accelerated rapidly upwards towards the sky and over the tall buildings of Republic City. It always fascinated her how she could manipulate the air around her when she was gliding.<p>

Korra could no longer contain her enjoyment and let out a cheerful shout. She turned her head just as she was gliding up against a building and her eyes caught sight of the Pro-Bending Arena. The memories made there, both good and bad, would always stay close to her heart.

Having a bird's eye view, the avatar noted she was nearing the Spirit Wilds and lowered the nose of her glider. Her feet planted firmly on the ground, Korra spun her glider above her and brought it to her side, snapping it closed. She gently moved the vines aside, entering the Wilds and Korra's smile faltered. She couldn't feel a thing.

"I just have to go in a little further, is all…" the avatar told herself.

Glider in hand, she made her way deeper into the Wilds. The young woman's frown deepened after several minutes when she realized she had not yet seen a single spirit animal.

"Where are they?" Korra voiced her thoughts as she stepped over vines. She continued on and froze as she glimpsed some sort of movement in her peripheral vision.

"Hey! Who's there?" she called out, turning in the direction where she had seen the movement. Korra inched closer and closer until she stood in front of a large vine. She peered over it and let out a sigh of relief when she saw a familiar being. However, she did not expect the greeting she received.

The Light spirit shrunk back away from the Avatar. "You need to get out of here. You're scaring the others."

"What? What do you mean?" Korra questioned, shocked.

"Your aura is scaring us," the spirit whimpered in fear as she came closer.

"I'm not going to hurt you…I promise," she said, slowly extended her hand.

The Light spirit glared long and hard at her offered limb, carefully moving closer to it. Once the spirit was close enough, Korra pet her softly. The spirit cooed at the avatar's touch, her fingertips brushing through feather-light fur.

"Now, can you tell me why I'm scaring you?" Korra asked as the two set off on the path further into the Spirit Wilds.

"You don't feel it, the darkness?"

The spirit was met with silence.

"Some of us have gone back to the Spirit World because of it," the spirit continued.

Korra gasped. "That's why there aren't any spirits around here in the Wilds," she said, only to be met with a small sound of agreement. "What happened to me affected the Wilds…"

"Exactly," the spirit sighed. "Why don't you ask Raava for help?"

Korra looked down as she walked, the corners of her mouth curving down into a frown.

"I can't."

"Why not? I thought you were able to talk to her and your past lives," the spirit said. "That's how you defeated that crazy lady Kuvira, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I just haven't been able to connect with them ever since," Korra replied.

"Then, just visit the Spirit World," the spirit suggested and looked up at the avatar.

"It's not that simple—"

"Sure it is. You just have to mediate. You're completely surrounded by spiritual energy so it shouldn't be that hard," the Light spirit cut her off.

Korra was growing irritable. "You don't understand. I can't feel a thing. I came here hoping I could feel something, but I can't even sense the spiritual energy!"

"Just try mediating," the spirit said, and with a smile it skipped away out of sight.

Korra huffed and sat down in defeat. "Well…I suppose trying to meditate again wouldn't hurt. Who knows? I'll probably enter the Spirit World this time."

She tried to reassure herself as she got into her typical meditating position and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>The young woman couldn't have been more wrong. There was no Spirit World; there was only an everlasting void of darkness.<p>

"Welcome back," it cackled in amusement.

Korra gritted her teeth. "You again."

"Me again," the voice echoed around her.

"Why are you hiding?" Korra called out. "You coward!"

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" the voice drawled. "I think between us, you're the one who is afraid."

That's when the laughter began, chilling Korra to her very blood, and she began to run.

Her reality had become a living nightmare.

Korra felt something wrap around her ankle and moments later she was sent tumbling to the ground. She screamed as it dragged her backwards. The voice only grew as she cried out for help, the avatar desperately clawing away at the ground in hopes of grabbing onto something.

"You're the coward, Korra. You're nothing but a weakling!" the voiced yelled. "You'll fear me, forever!"

Her screams grew to match the volume of the laughter as she was pulled through the darkness.

"_I _will win. Me! And when it's time, you will _let me in!"_

* * *

><p>Korra gasped as her head jerked upwards, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of her face. She forced down the bile that threatened to spill out of her mouth. <em>Its<em> words echoed in her mind.

_Let me in. Let me in. Let me in. _

Korra felt a sharp pain in her back and doubled over. Her vision blurred slightly as she caught sight of the vines on her skin retreating. The pain was almost too much to bear and Korra fell to her knees, groaning.

The pain had subsided into a dull ache once the vines had disappeared and the avatar placed her glider firmly on the ground and used it to pull herself up. She wrapped an arm around her stomach and used the glider as a walking stick on her trek out of the Wilds. Korra's mind was settled.

She _needed_ to tell Tenzin.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mommy! Look, it's the Avatar!"

"Jia, what did I tell you about running off like that?"

"But it's the _Avatar_!"

Korra stirred slightly, the volume of the voices sounding clearer as she was pulled out of unconsciousness.

Cerulean eyes opened to see a young child standing before her, a toothy grin plastered on her face. Over the little girl's shoulder, Korra noticed a much older woman hastily making her way towards them.

"Jia," the woman scolded as her eyes landed upon the avatar, who had been sleeping against the trunk of a tree. "I apologize, Avatar Korra. My daughter didn't mean to disturb you."

She made to continue on, though before she could get any further Korra interrupted her.

"No. It's definitely okay. She wasn't disturbing and please, you can just call me Korra," she assured the woman as she corrected her posture.

Jia grinned and looked up at her mother. "See? I _wasn't_ bothering her."

The woman sighed softly, but smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Avatar." She paused. "Korra," the older woman amended, and bowed her head slightly.

Korra bowed her head in response. After many years as the avatar, she still had not been able to adapt to that sort of response from people she met. It didn't make her uncomfortable, exactly; it was just foreign to her. Korra felt a small hand pull on her pants and she looked down to smile at Jia.

"Miss Korra, what is it like to be the Avatar?"

Just then, she heard a gong emitted by the clock on Aang Memorial and Korra remembered suddenly that she had to get back to the island.

"Sorry, Jia," she said, looking up from the girl to her mother and smiled apologetically. "I have to get back home. Or they'll be worried."

Korra cursed herself as Jia frowned and looked down at her feet. Kneeling down, the avatar lifted up the girl's chin with a finger. "How about you and I meet up later and then I'll tell you about anything you want to know?"

This seemed to appeal to the child, for she grinned widely and threw her arms around Korra's neck.

"Yes! Mommy, can I please?" Jia asked, hopeful her mother would comply.

The woman eventually nodded and smiled, though she seemed a bit shocked that the avatar had suggested such a thing.

"Okay, it's a deal then," Korra said with a grin. "I have to go now, though."

She waved as she made her way back to the main path, using her glider as a walking stick.

"Bye Miss Korra!" called the child, and Korra smiled to herself as Jia and her mother faded into the distance.

She made a mental note to write down what she had just promised when she got back to the dorms. As she continued on the path, it slowly dawned on the young woman how she had ended up in the park in the first place. Korra remembered making her way out of the Wilds with the intention of speaking to Tenzin. However, no sooner did she begin to glide back home had a wave of exhaustion hit her, the consequences of several restless nights finally catching up with the avatar. She couldn't keep herself flying straight and so landed in the park, intending to shut her eyes just for a brief moment.

_It could've been worse. I could've drowned while flying over Yue Bay_, she thought, sighing in relief as she exited the Park. Korra stopped a pedestrian passing by on the way out.

"Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me the time please?"

"It's no bother, Avatar Korra," the man smiled kindly as he checked his watch. "It's a quarter till noon."

_11:45?! Shit! _

The young woman gave her thanks and continued on her way, more quickly this time. She was never going to hear the end of it from Tenzin, she just knew it_. _ Korra grimaced as she quickened her pace. She could already hear her mentor's stern voice as she headed for the docks.

* * *

><p><em>Where could she be? <em>

Tenzin paced back in forth in his study his robe flapping wildly behind him. Korra had not attended morning meditation, or breakfast, and she was late for her healing session. He had Jinora check her room, but the avatar wasn't there either. He heard the door slide open and glanced up, expecting to be met with cerulean eyes. Instead, however, it was his eldest daughter, accompanied by his mother.

"Jinora tells me Korra will return soon," Katara said to her son, and Tenzin felt a massive weight lift off of his shoulders.

"I can sense her spirit getting stronger the closer she gets. She was probably visiting her friends," Jinora said, but in all honesty she couldn't help but worry.

As her Gran-Gran and father engrossed themselves in conversation, Jinora's mind drifted to other things. She secretly hoped Korra was okay. Especially after the whole episode a few nights back. The more Jinora thought about it, the more she just wanted to explode. She felt uncomfortable keeping it to herself.

_I just need to know if everything will be alright…that feeling…it wasn't natural. If it felt like that for me, I could only imagine the experience was even worse for Korra... _

"What was that?" Tenzin turned to question his daughter.

"Huh?"

Jinora raised an eyebrow at her father, feeling her cheeks heat up as she slowly realized her error. She had been mumbling aloud rather than in her head.

"What did you say about Korra?" Katara added in, encouraging her granddaughter.

"Oh. I – nothing," Jinora replied nervously. "I was just thinking of the race Korra and I planned to have later on today."

Tenzin raised a brow. "I thought you said you hadn't seen Korra today."

Jinora opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a single word the door slid open and revealed a dishevelled young woman.

"Tenzin, I have to talk to you!"

Korra paused when she glanced around and saw he wasn't alone. The man rushed forward to greet her as Jinora stood to her feet.

"Korra! It's about time! You had us all worried."

"Where'd you wander off to Korra?" Katara asked, simply glad the avatar was safe and sound.

"I was in the Wilds, but that's not important," Korra rushed out, as she stepped further into Tenzin's study. "I'm not sure if Jinora's told you or not, but let me explain what happened."

Jinora bit her bottom lip as the two adults glanced over at her.

"First things first, I lost connection with Raava and my past lives," Korra began, propping her glider up against the bookcase. "I haven't been able to get in contact with them ever since I went into the Avatar State and took Kuvira's bending away."

Tenzin and Katara listened intently as both Korra and Jinora explained the story from each of their perspectives. When they each finished, Tenzin stroked his beard, deeply in thought.

"Well, for one, my mother knew of your severed connection for a few weeks," the man muttered.

"I had my suspicions, but they were confirmed when I saw you wandering down to the beach when you were supposed to be meditating a few weeks ago," Katara explained. "Korra, you didn't have to keep this to yourself. You know we're all here to help you when it comes to things like this."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I thought I could go into the Spirit World and get Raava back just like last time," Korra sighed, defeated.

Tenzin spoke up. "Well…I think for now it will be best to refrain from training physically and meditating into the Spirit World. Also, I believe it would be best to extend the healing sessions."

Katara nodded in agreement as all eyes turned towards Korra.

"Yeah, that sounds perfectly fine to me," she said eventually, nodding too.

"We can start with one after we've all eaten," Katara said, and with that she excused herself, citing a promise to lend Pema her help in preparing lunch for the family.

"Again, we really are sorry for keeping this from you and Katara," Korra apologized on her and Jinora's behalf.

"As long as both of you are safe and out of danger, everything is fine." Tenzin smiled slightly and made his way back to his desk. "If you ladies will excuse me, I have some business to take care of regarding the Council."

Korra and Jinora took the hint and removed themselves from the study.

"You shouldn't have gone into the Wilds by yourself," Jinora frowned once they were walking down the hall and away from the study.

Korra didn't feel like discussing the matter any longer and changed the subject. "Maybe. Hey, aren't Kai and Opal coming back from Zaofu?"

Luckily, Jinora caught on to Korra's discomfort and played along. "Yeah…" She sighed in content at the thought of reuniting with her boyfriend after a week or so of being separated.

"Look at you two…all in love and what not," Korra teased, smirking.

She laughed when Jinora's cheeks reddened and the girl couldn't form coherent sentences in response. "Oh, shut up!" she grumbled.

Korra nudged the younger girl playfully as her laughter died down and was replaced by a faint smile. Jinora huffed as she turned up her nose and walked away. Chuckling, the young avatar followed after her.

* * *

><p>"Jia, honey, wait for Mommy."<p>

She heard her mother's voice from behind her as she made her way through the Spirit Wilds. Jia's earlier encounter with the Avatar had sparked a newfound interest in the little girl. Finally, her mother caught up with her and took hold of her hand. "Stay beside me, sweetheart," she chided gently.

Walking past fellow sight-seers and visitors to the Wilds, mother and daughter rounded a corner and Jia frowned when she saw there was not a spirit in sight.

"Where are they?" the girl whined in disappointment, kicking out a thick vine that twisted across the street.

"Stop that," her mother said, chiding her daughter once more. "Maybe they're sleeping," the woman answered the child's question, taking in the alluring colors of flowers adorning the large vines which had wrapped themselves through open windows and around buildings.

Jia's mother barely noticed when the girl slipped her hand out and wandered away from her, crouching down to peer closely at the flowers she came across. Jia sighed as she walked a bit further and grinned in surprise when a spirit suddenly appeared before her eyes.

"Hello," Jia said, waving happily and approaching the creature. However, when the girl took in the appearance of the spirit, the smile was wiped off her face. This particular creature had lost the beauty of its light; if anything it looked like a monster from the stories her mother sometimes read to her at bedtime, dark and ugly. And then, in a sudden, lightning fast movement, the spirit snatched her up into the air.

"Mommy!" Jia screamed as the spirit began to run away with her gripped in its claws.

"Jia!"

Her mother whipped around at the child's cry and gave her own moments later. She ran as fast as she could in pursuit, desperately reaching forwards. But then in mid-stride the woman felt something wrap tightly and suddenly around her legs. In the next moment, she was falling, pain shooting through her wrists as she threw out her hands to save herself.

"Mommy!" Jia shrieked.

Her mother scrambled to find her feet, kicking off the vine looped around her ankles, but her daughter and the spirit had already disappeared out of sight. When she rounded the corner, a scene of utter chaos was there to greet her. The spirits, so calm and happy only moments before, were now tainted with an ugly darkness and were beginning to launch themselves at other visitors.

Jia's mother began running through the crowd that had gathered, the only thought on her mind being to get to the Police post at the entrance of the Wilds. She pushed her way through a sea of nameless faces, colliding shoulders and almost losing her footing. Her heart was pounding in her chest, the only thing she could hear as she bustled her way past confused men and women the sound of her daughter's voice.

_So stupid. So stupid, s_he repeated over and again in her mind.

Jia's mother managed to reach the post and saw a few officers trying to contain the frenzy of people and get them far away from the situation as quickly as possible. One grabbed her arm to pull her along with from the scene, but in retaliation she grabbed the officer by her lapels and practically shouted in the woman's face.

"My daughter is in there. A spirit took her. You need to do something, please!"

She could feel tears falling as she openly sobbed in despair. The officer stared at her as if she'd grown two heads, mouthing uselessly. Jia's mother shook her hard.

"_Do something!_"

It seemed to work. The officer jumped, startled into action, and quickly made her way back to the post and began fumbling with the police radio.

"Chief Beifong, please…Well tell her we have an issue!" the officer yelled into the receiver. "Chief? Yes…I know, Chief... This is important…We have a problem…a spirit attack...Yes, I'm serious. Chief," the woman said grimly, "we need the avatar."


	5. Chapter 5

"Damn it!"

Chief Beifong slammed down the phone as she sat back down in her chair. There had been multiple incidents in the Wilds, yet none had ever escalated to this degree. This was unheard of, especially in Republic City—at least to her knowledge—where the spirits and people of her city coexisted in peace. Lin let out a frustrated sigh as she rubbed her temples. Just an hour ago Tenzin called her and explained the avatar was not physically ready to get back into action. Who else was there to call, if she was the _only_ one suitable for the job?

_Six months,_ thought Lin, _how much longer could Korra possibly need? _

Ready or not, the Chief had a city full of people to protect and a child to save. Removing herself from behind her desk, Lin made her way towards the door and flung it open.

"I need all units to the Spirit Wilds," she ordered, "secure the perimeter and make sure no one gets in unless authorized by _me._"

At their Chief's instruction, all available officers stood, exchanging looks as they began to file out of the room.

Lin grumbled to herself as she made her way back into her office and picked up the phone. She quickly spun the dial and tapped her foot impatiently as it rang. On the third ring, she listened as the man cleared his throat.

"Hello?"

Lin got straight to the point. "Tenzin, tell Korra we have an issue."

"What sort of issue? Are you alright?" Tenzin's voice came through the receiver. "And Lin, you know about Korra and—"

"Yes, yes, I know. However, she's the one who created the Wilds. The spirits are attacking people and right now the fate of a little girl's life rests in my hands. It's as much her responsibility as it is mine. So, to be frank, I couldn't care less about her being unavailable right now. Tell that girl to get her ass down here as soon as possible."

"Lin, you don't understand," Tenzin sighed.

"I understood you perfectly well, but you don't seem to understand me. She's the _only_ one who can stop the spirits, Tenzin," the Chief said, growing irritable.

"Lin, Korra won't be able to enter the avatar state. Her life will be put at risk if she even remotely tries to meditate," Tenzin explained as easily as he could without getting into too much detail. "Jinora and I will be there as soon as possible. Can you have one of your officers come to the island to make sure Korra doesn't leave?"

Lin raised a brow as she leaned against her desk. "Aren't there guards already there?"

There was a pause before Tenzin spoke. "Trust me, one of your metal benders will be necessary to restrain her if she catches wind of this."

"Just get down here as fast as you can."

Lin rubbed her temple after she hung up, reaching down to dial another number. This time the phone was picked up after the first ring. The detective answered the phone and Lin felt a sense of pride wash over her.

"Mako speaking."

"Mako, it's Chief Beifong. I know it's your day off but I need you to come in today…right now to be exact," Lin explained.

"Sure thing, Chief," Mako replied without a moment of hesitance. She was pleasantly surprised he didn't try to make any excuses either. "I'll be there right away."

"Actually, you're not coming here," she told him. "I need you to go to Air Temple Island. I have a job waiting for you there."

Lin had a feeling Mako would most definitely enjoy the task she had assigned him. After a pause, she began to explain what he was expected to do.

* * *

><p>Mako disembarked the ferry as he shoved gloved hands into his coat pockets. It had been a while since he'd stepped foot on the Island, yet the same feeling that he felt for <em>years<em> was still present. It felt like home. Remembering why he had come here, Mako pushed himself to start walking and soon enough, he was climbing the steps that led up to the island proper.

Tenzin and his eldest daughter walked side by side down the pathway leading towards the steps.

"You know she didn't buy your excuse," Jinora said, glancing up at her father.

"I'm just glad my mother called her in for a healing session," Tenzin sighed.

He had already wasted time by debating on whether or not he should tell Korra, and after a quick discussion with his mother they came to the conclusion that it would be best for the avatar and her health if she didn't know.

As if reading her father's thoughts, Jinora spoke.

"She'll understand, Daddy," she said, smiling softly. The pair descended the staircase just as Mako was escalating. They had caught one another's eyes and when they reached the middle, they stopped.

"Hi, Mako," Jinora said, greeting him happily.

He smiled as he came to a stop. "Hey, Jinora." He bowed his head in respect towards her father.

"I take it Lin sent you?" Tenzin said with a raised brow. This wasn't what he'd had in mind but knew Lin made the right decision in assigning the task to Mako. Korra would most definitely remain distracted by one of her friends.

"Something about making sure Korra doesn't leave the island. Does she even know about this?" Mako questioned, his eyes glancing up towards the top of the stairs.

"No. And I would like to keep it that way," Tenzin stated. "Please make sure she doesn't leave."

"Oh, and Korra is with Gran-Gran. They're in the middle of a healing session so you can wait outside of the room if you'd like," Jinora added as she and her father continued on their way.

Mako nodded in response and watched as the two air benders unclipped their wings. He was pulled into some sort of trance as they bent the air around them in order to push off the ground. Once they were out of sight, Mako turned and proceeded in making his way up the stairs and turned in the direction of the main building. Last he remembered, that's where the healing room was located.

The fire bender felt uneasy about coming to the island. It had been weeks since his last visit with Korra. Even then he had been accompanied by both his brother and Asami. Now it was just going to be him and Korra and Mako wasn't so sure if he should continue on. Then, he remembered Chief Beifong's words.

_Put whatever differences you two have aside and do your job._

Mako shook his head as he slid the door open and closed it behind him. Now it was a matter of finding the healing room that made Mako nervous. Had it really been _so_ long since his last stay at the island? The young man shrugged as he let his feet carry him down the hallway. After a few more turns, Mako could hear arguing children. He instantly knew who the only ones capable of producing so much noise could be.

Tracing the source down the hall, Mako turned into the family room just in time to witness Meelo blasting his older sister with a gust of wind.

"Kids! No bending in the house!" Pema chided from somewhere nearby.

"Meelo started it!" Ikki whined as she shoved her brother.

"No! Ikki did!" Meelo cried, shoving her back.

Mako took this moment to make his presence known. "You two should listen to your mother. She does know what's best, after all."

The kids span around at the sound of his voice. At the sight of the detective, Ikki and Meelo's faces lit up.

"Mako!" The two said in unison as they sprung up to greet him, throwing their arms around his waist.

"We missed you," Ikki mumbled, her voice muffled by Mako's coat. She pulled back a bit. "Where's Bolin and Asami?"

"Yeah! Where's Asami?" Meelo asked after he and his sister had pulled away.

Mako chuckled, already having expected that exact question from Meelo. The boy had developed a crush on Asami the first moment he saw her and had been harboring said crush ever since.

Mako kneeled down in front of the two older children. "Actually, I'm here on official police business."

"Awe, so no Asami?" Meelo frowned, obviously upset at her absence.

"No, sorry kid," Mako said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"So…" Ikki began, rocking back and forth on her heels, "what kind of police business are you doing?"

"Well, I'm here to visit Korra," Mako replied, though before he could continue the girl cut him off.

"Does it have something to do with Daddy and Jinora?" she asked quickly. "They left right after dinner and Daddy wouldn't tell Meelo and me why."

Mako shrugged in response. "Nothing like that, I just missed her is all."

As soon as those words left his mouth, he regretted them. Meelo and Ikki grinned from ear to ear at the fire bender's slip up.

"Mako likes Korra! Mako likes Korra!" the two children chanted as his ears turned red.

The detective laughed, trying to play it off. "How about we play a little game?"

This, predictably, got the children's attention.

"If you two help me find her, I will treat you to sweet buns at the bakery in the city…" Mako trailed off, knowing he already had the children's full cooperation.

Mako chuckled to himself as he followed the two children—racing on their air scooters—as they took off in the direction of the healing room.

"No air bending in the house!" Pema yelled.

* * *

><p>The young woman pulled off her top, followed by her pants before stepping into the healing pool. Clad only in her bindings, Korra lowered herself so that the water rested slightly below her chin.<p>

"I still don't understand why he had to lie about where he was going," she said, carrying on the conversation from before.

"Don't stress over it. I'm sure he'll tell you eventually," Katara replied, her mouth curving downwards into a frown. They _had_ to keep Korra safe.

The avatar grumbled, clearly bothered by the sudden suspicious front Tenzin had put up. Not only did he avoid her questions, but he had told Jinora to accompany him instead. One of the many things Korra disliked was being left out of situations she knew she belonged in.

"Still, I just _feel_ it in my gut, Katara, something is wrong and _I_ _know_ I should be included," she sighed, closing her eyes as the water glowed, signalling the beginning of the healing session.

Katara sighed as if in response, more to herself than at Korra. She briefly considered telling her the truth before deciding against it.

"Korra, I'm sure everything will be perfectly fine." Or so she hoped. The elderly woman decided to shift the direction of their conversation.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions now, and if you don't want to answer you don't have to. Just know I'll be all ears if there's anything you do _want_ to tell me." Katara smiled, warmly, and continued on. "Why do you think you're unable to connect with Raava?"

Korra cracked an eye open, a bit unsure. Her voice was a low murmur when she spoke.

"I…I don't know. She said she'd always be in me. I just don't know why I haven't been able to connect with her."

"What's different this time?"

Korra remained silent as she considered the question.

"Do you feel any sort of presence? From Wan? Or anyone else?"

Korra opened both her eyes and looked at the older woman. "I feel empty."

"Empty?" Katara raised a brow and encouraged Korra to further explain.

"When I first had trouble connecting with Raava, Zaheer helped me get over the block and enter the Spirit World, allowing me to connect with her. When I was battling Kuvira, I managed to enter the Avatar State and I saw all my past lives, and I mean _every _one of my past lives," Korra said, reminiscing at the memory. "Then after I attacked the colossus, Kuvira jumped out and she detonated her weapon to kill me while I was still in the Avatar State."

"How I'm still alive is beyond me, but I know that when I fell I saw them disappear before my eyes, just like when Vaatu and Unalaq hurt Raava. After Wan vanished, Raava appeared for a few seconds before I hit the ground. But then she was gone. I...I feel like they're all gone for good this time."

All of the pent up emotions threatened to escape as Korra blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. A deep sense of sorrow, of failure, washed over the young woman and her mind flung her back in time.


	6. Chapter 6

"_You already took my bending, Avatar, I won't let you take away my power!" Kuvira's voice was filled with rage._

_"It's over, Kuvira!" Korra's voice boomed, her eyes flashed white as she used her bending to keep herself hovering high in the air. It all happened so fast after that. _

_Korra sent a wave crashing towards the colossus, forcing the Great Uniter to flee out of her massive, hulking mecha-suit. It seemed that the advantage was with her now – except that Kuvira had planned exactly for this scenario. _

_When she jumped out along with the rest of her crew, she detonated the giant thing. _

_Korra eyes grew wide as the explosion tore towards her. She tried to escape the path of the blast, to get out of the way, but it was too late. She was too slow. Korra screamed as blistering hot shrapnel sliced into her, the colossus' violent destruction spitting twisted metal in every direction. The very air shook when the hulking spirit cannon mounted to the mecha-suit's arm tore apart in a blaze of fire seconds later. A blast wave of fatally unstable energy blew the avatar right out of the sky._

_Korra fell._

_"It's going to be okay, Korra..."_

_She blinked in confusion. That voice, it sounded like...Wan? But that didn't make sense. She was falling, from high above the wreckage that was once Republic City. And yet she was not; instead the world around was fading to grey, washed of color and life. There was an orb in front of her, burning with light. But that too was fading. Korra tried her hardest to reach out and grab it. She tried desperately to hold on…to stay in the Avatar State. But everything was dissolving, melting out of existence, and she fell. _

_Korra watched in horror as all of her past lives flashed before her eyes—Wan all the way to Roku, Kyoshi and finally, Aang. _

_"I'm proud of you, Korra, I'll see you soon." _

_And he was gone. And then she saw herself, wrapped in melancholy. And then she was gone._

_Korra was falling faster still when Raava appeared._

_"Help me!" she cried out, desperately reaching out trying to grasp onto something, anything!_

_"It'll all be over soon, Korra," Raava murmured soothingly. "We will meet again." _

_"It'll all be over soon," the young avatar echoed with the last of her strength, and she closed her eyes._

_Korra's friends and family watched in horror as her body fell through the air. _

_"Get her!" Jinora screamed, unbuttoning her wing suit. But it was already too late. Korra's body was a dead weight, plummeting from the sky. She slammed into the ground, lost amongst the cloud of dust and debris kicked up by the force of the impact._

_"Korra?!" Tonraq nearly tripped over himself trying to reach her as fast as he could. This wasn't happening again. He had almost lost his daughter once and he wasn't going to lose her again. _

_Senna was at his side in moments, weeping openly as she grasped onto her daughter's limp hand. Hearing of their daughter fighting the colossus, they had immediately rushed down from the Sato mansion where they were keeping an eye on Prince Wu and Mako and Bolin's family._

_"Korra?" _

_Tonraq rested his daughters head in his lap, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. Her face was bruised, battered and her body was broken. And yet Korra's eyes still glowed brightly. Tonraq didn't understand. He had never been so frightened in his life. He wanted to vomit. She was too young. It wasn't her time yet. He paled at the thought. The man's hands shook as he tried to find a pulse but ended up with nothing. This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream; his worst nightmare. It was a horrible moment of déjà-vu that he would give anything to end. _

_"Stay with us, Korra," Tonraq whispered as the others stood aside, gripped in a crushing sense of sorrow. And then her lips suddenly split open, a blinding light emitting from them as well as her eyes. The flare of light, however, quickly dimmed and began to fade, and as her mouth closed Korra's eyes returned to their natural cerulean color. They remained open, but now they were lifeless. Tonraq carefully closed them with the gingerly touch of his fingertips, and that's when he and his wife finally broke. _

_Their sobs echoed in the eerie silence._

_Tenzin bowed his head in solemn regret. "I failed you, Avatar Korra…I'm sorry." _

_Moments later, pure shock claimed the expressions of everyone present when the young woman began to cough, her body wracked in a violent fit as blood splashed across her lips._

_The cry seemed to come from several mouths at once. "Korra!"_

_"Get a healer over here! Now!" Lin's voice boomed over all of the commotion._

_Korra's friends smiled through their tears as the young woman began to stir, life returning to her limbs. Warmth returned to her eyes, though great pain came with it. The avatar grimaced as she turned to look up at her parents._

_"Mom? Dad?"_

_"Honey," her mother said, stroking her daughter's hair as she choked on indescribable relief. Beside her, Tonraq was beyond words, his throat tight with an overwhelming sense of emotion._

_"It'll all be over soon," Korra said, the words coming automatically to her lips. What did they mean? She didn't know. It hurt too much to think. The young woman slipped into unconsciousness just as healers arrived on the scene._

_A few days had passed, then a week. Korra had slipped in and out of consciousness throughout that week and smiled every time she woke with one of her friends or parents at her side. One week turned into two, and that's when things took a turn for the worst. Korra wasn't waking up at all. Jinora could no longer feel her spirit. Katara had been called to try and help, but all her efforts were seemingly in vain._

_Korra was dancing with death. _

_"I'm sorry, Tonraq and Senna, but..." Katara swallowed down a sob and continued on. "Your daughter may not make it."_

_That night, the family gathered around the dinner table and forced themselves to eat. Never had the occasion been quieter, especially with the number of children in the family. Even Meelo remained silent as he pushed with his vegetables around his plate. Ikki even refused the moon cake her mother offered her. Such a thing was unheard of. And Tonraq and his wife sat huddled together on their side of their, utterly distraught. _

_All eyes turned when the door was pushed open. All eyes grew wide at who it revealed to be standing there, leaning heavily on a pair of crutches with pain etched into her face, but smiling nevertheless. And of course, Korra being Korra, she came with a grumbling stomach._

_"What does a girl have to do to get some food around here?"_

* * *

><p>"I felt that pain when I hit the street, Katara," Korra spoke quietly, her eyes held low. "I should be dead right now, shouldn't I?"<p>

Katara didn't answer, watching the young woman slowly curl and uncurl her fingers beneath the water. Korra filled the silence once more.

"I felt metal slice through my back and now there's not even a scratch. I woke up _two_ _weeks_ after the fall and was perfectly fine. I fooled myself into thinking the fall wasn't so bad after all. I believed it was the Avatar State that saved me, along with your healing, Katara. But...now, I'm not so sure." Korra looked up. "I know I'm the Avatar and all, but we both know the speed of my recovery was…" the young woman trailed off, unable to finish.

Katara pressed her lips together for a long moment. She had watched two avatars teeter over the edge of no return, both well before their time. She knew all too well the grief of seeing a life extinguished right before her eyes, and the sheer astonishment and confusion when that life miraculously returned from the grip of death. The old woman lowered herself to her knees beside the healing pool, and reached in to take hold of Korra's hand.

"I don't know how you lived through what happened to you, but I'm glad you did. Everyone is, and we love you as – if not more than we always did. You are not alone in this, Korra, not for one second," Katara comforted, squeezing the woman's hand in hers and smiling warmly. "You can find peace, if you only look for it."

Korra nodded through her tears, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She moved out of the water and bent the excess moisture off her body before enveloping the elderly lady in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Katara, for everything. Could you...?"

"I will explain this to Tenzin—the parts he does not already know of. Don't worry about a thing, okay?" Katara pulled back, showing the young woman she was serious. "Go get some rest before dinner."

The avatar nodded as she pulled on her clothes. When she was done, Korra walked to the door and turned to look over her shoulder to see Katara cleaning up. She slid the door open and with a deep sigh, closed it behind her.

Katara stared at the closed door, knowing she had to speak to her youngest son as soon as possible. She just hoped the Spirit Wilds problem would be resolved before Korra found out about it.

"I promise I will do all I can to find out what's happening to you," Katara vowed quietly.

Shortly after, there was commotion on the other side of the door and the old woman listened as the noise grew closer.

"Korra!" Meelo yelled as he slid open the door to the healing room only to see his Gran-Gran sweeping the floors.

"Hello, sweetheart," Katara smiled at her grandson who marched in and stopped in front of her. Following close behind him were Ikki and –

"Mako? It's been a while."

"Hello, Master Katara, it's good to see you," the young man said, bowing his head in respect and glad his brother wasn't here to freak out over the woman's presence.

She laughed softly. "Please, just call me Katara,"

"Gran-Gran, where's Korra?" Ikki asked, hugging her grandmother.

Katara embraced her grandson and kissed his forehead only to have Meelo whine in response. "You three just missed her."

"Come on, soldiers! We have an avatar to locate!" Meelo marched back out the door followed by an annoyed Ikki. Before Mako could follow in suit, Katara rested her hand on his forearm.

"Make sure she gets some rest and doesn't find out about what's happening," Katara sighed, but smiled softly. "Lin made a good decision in sending you. I'm sure she could use a friend to talk to."

Mako wasn't sure what to say so he simply nodded, ignoring the blush that crept up his neck as he walked out of the healing room.

* * *

><p>There was a knock at the door—interrupting the soft music coming from the radio placed on the windowsill—followed by a familiar voice.<p>

"Korra? It's Ikki and Meelo! Someone wants to see you!"

The young woman's eyes didn't leave Yue Bay as she spoke. "Come in," she called out, repositioning herself in order to get more comfortable on her window seat. She had had the full intention on taking a nap, but her body didn't want to cooperate and so she found herself drawn to admiring the beautiful view. The door slid open and she listened as the footsteps got closer. Korra turned her head, a smile came to her face as she saw the one person she least expected to pay her a visit.

The avatar stood so she was face to face with the young fire bender. "Mako!"

"See, I told you she'd be happy to see you," Ikki grinned and pulled her brother out of the room in order to give the pair some alone time.

"It's so good to see you, Korra," Mako said, briefly taken aback as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt his lips curve upwards into a smile as the two embraced. Mako's nose filled with the smell of sea salt; Korra's scent. The two stood there, hugging for what seemed like an eternity before Mako pulled away. Keeping his hands on her arms, he smiled.

"How are you?" he asked, taking in her appearance.

Almost half a year had passed since Korra had healed, but Mako had never really gotten the chance to sit down and talk to her. When she fell, so did his world. The same feeling he had felt when his parents were killed overcame him once again. He could only stand and stare as her lifeless body plummeted towards the concrete.

The terrible sound of her colliding with the ground was what managed to snap him out of his daze. The weeks following the fall had been the worst, especially when he, his brother, and Asami heard Katara tell Korra's parents the bad news. The trio had spent every day for those two weeks by her bedside, willing her to wake up. No one was ready to let go of her. Not him. Not then and not ever.

No matter their relationship, Mako couldn't imagine a life without Korra in it.

"It's really good to see you, too. I've been the same as always." The avatar's voice was muffled by the fabric of his jacket. They finally let go of each other. "I'm actually a bit surprised that you came here."

"Well it's my day off and I haven't seen you in so long, so I figured I'd visit you," Mako shrugged as he leaned back against the pillow opposite of Korra, now returned to her window seat.

"That's really nice of you. I miss you guys so much, but I'm still healing and for once I'm acting my age and following the advice Tenzin and Katara have given me."

"That doesn't sound like you," Mako smirked as he gazed out the window. "Isn't it crazy, how almost five years ago I was a completely different person and then you came and just…?"

"Changed everything?" Korra finished for him, smiling. "I know exactly what you mean."

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, gazing out over Yue Bay as the music played from the radio.

"_They're in trouble..."_

"Huh?" Korra's attention snapped towards Mako, only to be met with a raised brow.

"I didn't say anything," he said, wearing a bit of a puzzled look.

"Oh…sorry."

Korra grinned sheepishly and the pair went back to staring at the water.

_"It's me, you idiot." _

Korra knew that voice. She couldn't forget even if she tried.

_How – how can I hear you?! _

"_Eh, I figured you wouldn't be meditating any time soon, so I decided we were past due for a little chat. Also, I'll give you a little tip: there's no getting rid of me, sweetheart." _

_Get out of my head!_ Korra bit her tongue to stop the words from leaving her mouth.

"_Your people are in trouble, I know you can feel it,"_ the voice sighed.

"How would you know?" she snapped, turning red with the incredulous look she received from Mako.

"Are you okay?" he reached towards her, spooked by her sudden outburst. "Who are you talking to?"

"Mako—" Korra began, trying to ignore the voice within her mind as best she could.

"_Breaking News! Breaking News!" _

Korra and Mako turned as Shiro Shinobi's familiar spirited tones suddenly burst from the radio. After a moment of stunned surprise, Mako quickly made a move to shut the thing off altogether. However, Korra was just as swift on the uptake. She grabbed his arm as her other hand toyed with a knob on the radio and raised the volume.

_"Citizens of Republic City, Chief Beifong has ordered an evacuation! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill! The spirits are attacking citizens and a child is reported to have been kidnapped! Everyone needs to evacuate to the port. It's chaos down here in Republic City! Where's Avatar Korra!? This message is brought to you by Future Industries; the future's technology today!" _Shiro Shinobi signed off.

Korra stared at the radio, completely caught off guard by what she had just heard.

"_I told you, didn't I? Why don't you ever listen to me?_"

Korra ignored the voice as she glared at Mako. It didn't take much to put two and two together. Tenzin and Jinora had disappeared to take care of the Spirit Wilds. Katara knew about this and she hadn't bothered to even tell her. Mako wasn't here to _visit_ her…his sole purpose was to _babysit_ her. Almost a year! A year and still no one thought she was capable of _anything_.

"You _lied_ to me!"

"Korra, I –" Mako began, trying to figure out what could possibly calm her down. An upset Korra wasn't exactly friendly.

"Here I am, actually thinking that you wanted to see me because—I don't know—I thought you actually missed me like I miss you and the others," Korra said, looking away as she ran her fingers through her short locks.

_"I love it when you're angry..."_

The voice laughed inside her head and Korra just wanted to scream. She looked around impatiently for her glider, before remembering it had been left in Tenzin's study. The avatar sighed in frustration; there was no time to waste going to search for it.

Korra saw Mako open his mouth to say something but beat him to it. "Don't even bother. I don't have time to argue." In truth, she had let him see too much of her emotional vulnerability and refused to repeat the mistake. "I have a child to save. You can either come with me or stay here."

Korra grabbed an old glider from under her bed, one not quite to the same quality as her preferred glider and walked out of the room, leaving Mako in his confused state.

"_You're weak," __the voice whispered insidiously,__ "that's why no one tells you anything." _

"SHUT UP!" Korra screamed, enraged by the fact that there was truth behind those words. She _was_ weak, but she was working on becoming stronger and she would get stronger if the voice _left her alone_.

"Korra, wait!"

She heard her name being called as she walked down the path towards the island's dock. She turned to see Mako running towards her and felt a pang of guilt for how she yelled at him.

"Look I'm sorry for my outburst," Korra said apologetically, turning to face him. "I know you have a job, but so do I and right now my job is making sure everyone in the city is safe."

"No, I'm sorry," Mako replied, his eyes expressing the sincerity of his words. "I should have told you, but Beifong gave me instructions not to and...well, you know I've never been exactly fond of getting on her bad side."

Korra allowed herself a small smile at that.

Mako spoke as she began to walk again and he followed her down the path. "I'm going with you, though," he declared once they had reached the docks. Amber eyes scanned the dock and noted the ferry was approaching. "We won't make it in time. The ferry usually docks for about thirty minutes before leaving."

"Who said anything about the ferry?" Korra flicked open her glider and grinned deviously. Mako yelped several seconds later, his grip on her body tightening as the wind whipped around them and his feet no longer felt the comforting safety of solid ground.

"Korra!"

"Hold on!" she yelled, and in no time at all they were soaring together through the air above Yue Bay.


	7. Chapter 7

"Spirits, please come out," Jinora pleaded for the umpteenth time since entering the Spirit Wilds. She had tried to meditate and use her spiritual energy to locate the spirit that kidnapped the little girl, but it was as if her connection was being hindered by something. The notable absence of the familiar, beautiful creatures no matter where she looked was not all too comforting either.

The chances of finding the child were growing slim with every passing moment and she knew her father, Chief Beifong and the girl's mother were all counting on her. Sighing in defeat, Jinora retraced her steps back through the Wilds. Moving aside the vines as she reached the exit, Jinora was met with the child's mother rushing forward to greet her, wearing a look of relief. Met with empty arms however, the woman's face fell.

"Where is she?"

Jinora looked down at her feet just as her father and Chief Beifong came over.

"I'm sorry—" the girl began and that was all it took to set the woman over the edge once again.

"You have to find her! Please!" she openly sobbed as another officer, one Chief Beifong had called over, gently guided her away.

"Dad," Jinora looked up, "we need Korra. I can't use any of my energy to locate the angry spirit, but Korra _can_."

Tenzin stroked his beard, deep in thought. "There has to be a way —"

"There is no other way," Lin cut across him, folding her arms. "Surely if Jinora can't solve this, then we both know no one else can besides Korra herself."

"She —" Tenzin began but was cut off yet again, this time by a voice calling out from high above them.

"Korra! Next time we're taking the ferry!"

The trio turned their surprised eyes and watched as the avatar manoeuvred her glider down towards them.

"Huh," Lin said simply.

Korra landed neatly, Mako clinging onto her as if his very being depended on it. "Have you found her?" she asked immediately, turning to Jinora before any of them could question her presence.

"It's like my connection is being blocked by something, I just don't know what," Jinora explained after a moment, looking down at her feet. "I don't even know if the little girl is okay."

"Hey," Korra smiled comfortingly as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "you did what you could. Plus, I'm going to need your help getting her when I go in there, okay?"

Jinora nodded, surprised at how optimistic Korra could be in a situation like this.

"Avatar Korra!"

She turned upon hearing the oddly familiar voice, though Korra blinked in surprise after seeing who it belonged to. A gasp escaped the avatar's lips as she put two and two together. The girl missing wasn't just any girl…it was _Jia_.

Her mother ran up to her, grabbing onto her shoulders. "Please, Avatar Korra, you _have _to get my baby back."

"I will, safe and sound," Korra vowed as she placed a hand on the crying mother's chest and gently extricated herself from the woman's desperate grip. "I just need you to go with my friend now. He can take you to a safer place than here."

Korra motioned towards Mako as she spoke. Jia's mother hesitated but eventually gave in and let him lead her away.

"I'm going to take you to get some water," she heard Mako say as he placed a hand on the woman's back and guided her past the police barriers.

"You know that woman?" Tenzin asked with a raised brow.

Korra simply nodded. "We met earlier today, but I didn't exactly plan on running into her again so soon, especially like this."

"Well, what's your plan now?" Beifong asked as she watched her detective guide the distraught mother away.

"To find Jia."

Korra nodded at Jinora and the two turned and walked towards the Wilds until they came face to face with the curtain of vines that marked the entrance.

_"_Be careful," Tenzin bade them, growing nervous.

Several moments after the girls had disappeared beyond the vines, Lin spoke quietly. "They'll be fine."

* * *

><p>"You never mentioned Jia to us earlier," Jinora spoke up eventually.<p>

Korra let out a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't really think anything of it."

"But what would the spirits want with her?"

Korra sighed, shrugging. "I really don't know…" Cerulean eyes scanned her surroundings. "Speaking of which, did you see any when you came in here earlier?"

"No," Jinora replied, "not even the faintest feeling of one."

Korra looked around, feeling uneasy. "If this is a spirit attack, shouldn't there be some around?"

There was no resistance whatsoever to their foray into the Wilds, only an eerie air of quiet. They both made sure not to trip over any vines as they rounded a corner and the sense of uneasiness only grew stronger.

"Wait here."

"Why? What are you doing?" Jinora asked but received no response as Korra made her way over to a large tree enveloped in vines, placing her hands onto it. Korra knew what she was doing was a long shot, but she _had_ to find Jia.

Jinora watched in absolute amazement as the wind picked up around the Avatar as she began to glow. _She's bending the energy from within, _the young air bending master thought. _But how is she able to tap into the spiritual energy if I can't even feel it?_

Korra realised her idea was working when felt her spirit being pulled from her body and guided towards an empty building in the centre of the Wilds. Jia's presence was strong there. Getting a fix on the girl's location, the avatar began to draw back to herself, at the back of her mind tentatively wondering if that was that. Had she worried for no reason? Her last attempt to tap into spiritual energy had allowed -

"_Let me in…_"

Korra gasped as a sharp pain shot through her very being. She immediately retracted her hand and stumbled back away from the vines.

"Leave me alone!"

Jinora rushed forward. "Korra, are you okay? Who were you talking to?"

"I'm fine," she said plainly as the younger girl helped her keep her balance.

Jinora took the hint and dropped the subject. "Did you find Jia?"

Korra nodded as she tried to ignore the nagging voice in her mind. "She's in an old abandoned building right in the center of the Wilds." She began walking, pulling Jinora along as she continued. "There aren't any spirits, though. It's almost as if there wasn't an attack at all."

"That's impossible," Jinora said. "Chief Beifong said her officer witnessed a lot of people coming out of the Wilds."

"I didn't feel any when I used the vines," Korra replied as they rounded another corner.

_"Or perhaps you're too inept to tell the difference. Tell me: how you do you know the girl isn't already dead?"_

The voice in her head was persistent. Korra remained silent as she walked, quickening her pace. The voice laughed at her.

"_As I expected; you have no idea, do you? But I do. I could help you see even further, Korra. You would know in an instant. All you have to do..."_

The avatar growled under her breath, grinding her teeth together at the mere suggestion. Thankfully, after the voice had said its piece, Korra was met with perfect silence, and at that she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. That was when, as they came upon the abandoned building, a piercing shriek rent the air.

Both girls turned immediately, jumping in shock. Korra's eyes grew wide at the sight of a beast diving down towards them. Almost in the same moment, docile vines rose with a vengeance. Jinora screamed as several slithered menacingly towards her. The giant creature pounced on Korra before she could do a thing to protect the airbender, throwing her to the ground. Thrown onto her back, Korra squirmed underneath the angry spirit—which appeared to be a mix between a dragon and a turtleduck—as it opened its jaws and threatened to devour her whole.

With all of her strength, Korra spat a jet of flame into the creature's mouth. Its screech of pain stung her ears as her desperate attack threw it off of her. Korra scrambled to get up off the ground, turning her eyes to find Jinora.

With the use of her glider-turned-staff, the avatar sent a slicing gust of wind through at least two of the vines hounding the girl. She used the brief moment of respite to close the distance between them, more vines sliding up through the cracks in the ground. Korra grabbed Jinora as she flicked the glider open.

"C'mon, we need to get out of here!"

Holding tightly onto the girl, she propelled them both high with a strong leap and complimentary burst of firebending. "They're coming!" Jinora's screamed over the whistling of the wind as Korra opened her glider, her eyes round in horror as the vines chased them into the air. Jinora kicked out a blast of wind at the ghastly looking things, but one snapped forward and wrapped around her ankle.

The girl tried desperately to wriggle free, but Korra could feel the girl slipping from her grip. She tried to hold on to both her glider and the girl as the vines tried to yank her out of the air. And then, with the worst timing, the flying spirit swooped up to attack the women, screeching wildly.

Korra swerved just in time and manipulated the air around her in order to boost up the side of the building. Jinora was pulled up from the tight grip of the vine, able to twist around and blast the spirit trying to cut them down. Jinora took note of the spirit's retreat as well as the vines and let a breath of relief escape her lips. At last, the pair reached the roof of the large building.

"Miss Korra?" a young voice called out and the girls turned as Jia ran towards them, tears spilling down her rosy cheeks. The little girl wrapped her arms around the avatar's waist as she bawled. "Miss Korra, the spirit is so angry and scary! I want my mommy! I should have listened to her!"

"Jia, we're going to get you out of here, okay? You're safe now," Korra said as she lifted Jia off the ground and held her as she cried.

"Avatar's promise?" the girl said, voice muffled by the collar of her shirt.

Korra couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes. Avatar's promise."

Jinora, however, wasn't so sure about their chances when the spirit landed on the roof. "Korra, we have to go, and fast!"

"Take Jia," she said, handing the trembling girl over to Jinora's awaiting arms. Korra opened her glider and handed it off as well. "Fly as high as possible and whatever happens to me, _don't turn back._"

The girl clenched her jaw as Korra's words replayed in her mind seconds later, looking back over her shoulder to watch her blast off the roof with airbending. Tightening her grip on Jia, she navigated them both out of the Wilds.

"Will she be okay?" Jia asked, trying to swallow down a sob.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Jinora replied, but wasn't sure who those words were meant to reassure.

The girl, or herself?

* * *

><p>"<em>You're scared<em>, _aren't you, Korra?_"

It was a truth she did not want to admit, even to herself; she _was_ scared. Korra grunted as the ferocious creature clawed at her, sending her flying backwards into the tree that had wound its way up the side of the building and onto the roof.

_"Why don't you let me lend you a hand?"_

Korra let out a frustrated sigh as she rolled out of the way, barely missing the swipe of the spirit's tail. Nothing was working in the avatar's favor; no matter the form of her attacks, they were only making the spirit angrier. She needed access to water, and then maybe she could really gain an advantage on the beastly thing.

Lost in her thoughts and trying so desperately to ignore the nagging voice in her mind, Korra dodged the spirit's claw coming straight for her. In a panic she dug her heel into the rooftop, thrusting her hands up to form an earthen wall. The spirits' claw broke straight through the wall and sent Korra flying off the edge of the rooftop.

_"If you would just let me help you…"_

Korra ignored the voice as she enveloped herself within an air bubble, shielding herself from the debris. Landing on her two feet, she looked up, expecting but not seeing the spirit chasing after her.

_"You won't survive this on your own, Korra."_

"Shut up, will you?" she screamed. "I don't and will never need _your_ help!

_"Then you will die." _

Korra snarled and opened her mouth to respond – but then she was suddenly thrown into the side of a building, air escaping her lungs as she collided with a brick wall.

She fell onto the ground, groaning in pain as she tried to focus her vision. It was blurry, but Korra could see the spirit making its way towards her limp body. She didn't register how close it actually was until it pulled her off the ground and threw her through the crumbling walls of another building.

Korra screwed her eyes shut as the pain coursed throughout her body, gasping as stinging tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Her head was pounding and she was just glad it hadn't cracked open.

"_How much longer do you think you will last? How long until you breathe your final breath, Korra?"_

She inhaled sharply and braced herself on both hands. Wobbling, Korra pushed herself up to her knees and tried to get off the ground to fight back. How was she being tossed around like this? What was she, one of Ikki's dolls? No; she was the _avatar_. She was Korra. She was strong. She was a fighter. Then why the hell was she letting this happen to her?

She pulled herself up, a scowl shaping her features. Korra swayed as she let her vision focus – just in time to see reality warped into the form of the spirit reappearing right in front of her. The ugly thing grabbed her, and with little effort slammed her straight into the ground.

Korra had had enough.

"Fine," the avatar said through clenched teeth as she struggled against the creature's grip, "help me!"

Korra screamed moments later when a sharp pain sliced through her body, blooming out from the middle of her back.

_"I have you now," _the voice cooed softly.


End file.
